renkin



W. 0. RENKIN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULVERIZED FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30,191].

Patented July 1, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

5nveufoz a fl "mama V A //M W. O RUM (IN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULVEHIZED FUEL.

APPLICATION nuzu reovao. 191:.

Patented J 111 y 1, 1919.

4 SHEhTS- 'SHEET 2,

[NI EN TOR W. U. RtNKIN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULVERtZED Fun.

APPLICAYION FILED NOV- 30,1917.

W J U 9 Z 11 O N m ,T

1E w (E h M, U 3 M w. 0. HENKIN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULVERiZED FUEL. APPLICATION nL'Eu Nov, 50. 19:1.

1,308,367. Patented July 1, 1919.

NYE/(Tali Wu M ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM o. RENKIN, or ORADELL, mew JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T oumnnr SPECIALTIES (30., INC., A CORPORATION OF NTWV YORK APPARATUS FUR HANDLING PULVEI UZED l Ul-lli Application filed November 30. 1917.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVILIJAM 0. Run KIN, afeit izen of the United States of Aincricu, residing at' Oradcll, county of Bergen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new -and'useful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling Pulverized Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for feeding pulverized materials in regulated quantities and is more particularly designed for use as a controller for handling putverized coal regulating the rate at which the same is fed to a combustion apparatus in which it is to be burned, and delivering said regulated quantities at a uniform rate. The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying four sheets of drawings in Which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upperatus.

Fig. 2 is across section on line 2-3 of Fig. 1, showing the parts in position assumed when the feed regulating device is closed,

and

i Fig. 3 is a similar view showing it open.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the feed screw. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation and Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5'), showlng a modified form of distributing de vice, parts being broken away.

Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 are similar views of :1 second modification, and Fig. 9 is a detail side view of the cum used there-1n.

Fig. 10 is a side view and Fig. 11 a cross section on line 11-11 of Fig.10, showing in detail'the upper cut-ofi' blade.

Figs. 12 and 13 show a modified form of feed regulating device.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

1, is the lower portion of a hopper or other receptacle containing a mass of the pulverized material to be fed, which receptacle has an o ening in one wall at a point a substantial distance above the bottom of the recep '50 tacle and substantially centrally of the well communicating with conduit 2, extending therefrom. 3, is a screw conveyor extending through the hopper interior and through conduit 2, journeled at either end at points 4% l, 4. Usually this screw is drivenby bevel Specification of Letters Patent.

l'ntcntod Jul i. Milt.-

Serial No. 204,788,

our 5 nit-shin" with biz-ruled pinion U, n: shuit 7, carrying hull. pull 5 screw 3, in u cnunl r-wlrr zrtisu dilrcliL-n tends to form: nmtvria from ,hol 'l 'cr 1;. through ((llltllllfl2,11 t wrwu ng or dish ii; [on

section of the conveyor srrmv 2i, '1 i in it.

Chamber has an inIut i i i npprr prn-tion, thr ugh which screw. 1-3, oh i M ul verim-d material nto ii... Wml'ior. um: .w. will let opening 12, u: the bottom through Iiivh the snid. material drops to the ejector is. up eluted by coiu irvrssc-l air in the usual ruy. Between these inlet and outlet openings i interposed n reticulated uu-nibm; or screen .1 l, of nny suitable form, on which the material 7 discharged from conduit 9, may fall. i'his material usually drops from the screw 3, n aggregated masses and it is important in mnny cases to break these up into a steady stream of individual particles to be fed to so the ejector 13. To effect this a reci gJIOCiiliiig or jigging motion of some sort should be given to screen 11. This may be done in a number of Ways, and constitutes 0:10 feature fit my invention. st

in Fig. 1 the screen 11, is in the form ml .1 truncated cone with its smaller end uni ing freely on the projecting end of tl wui duit 2, and its larger end sliding on the he t t of screw 3. Pin 47, fixed in the end well of chamber 9, engages the spider 4-8, supporting the larger end of screen 11. and prevents: its rotation with the screw. 49, a hub on screw 3, with com groove 50. in which runs pin 51, carried by spider 48. As a result the spider and screen cannot rotate and the revolutions of screw 3, will, through cam groove 50 and in 51, cause rs-pidlongitudinal reciprocation of the screen and so distribut.

the material deposited on the screen evenly through its meshes and cause said material to fall into ejector 13. in a uniform c0ntinn-- ous shower of small particles rather than in aggregated masses.

The control or regulation of the flow of 10 material to screen 11, or other distributing device, is'efl'ected by the adjustment ciao. plurality of-- cut-oil blades encompassing feed screw 3, which has its threadfeut ewe. or notchedat 14, (seeFig. 4) to recei v esuch Il blades 1 and 16. which are adjustable radi' ally of the screw. The number of blades and the form of their adjusting means may be varied, but 1 have shown a pair of blades pivoted on. shafts 17, and 18, journaled 1n the hopper wall and operated by bell cranks l9. and 21). The latter have bifurcated ends lluiswl) engaging pins on nuts 21, 22, mount wl on regulating screw 23, journaled in hanger 24; lVhen this screw is rotated by hand or through any suitable means such as uoiwrsal joint wnncction 25. the blades 15 and in. are simultaimiusly swung toward or from scmw El. These blades have semicircular notchrs 26, formed in their edges next screw 3, and of the same radius as that f the shaft of screw 3, so that when they fit into notrh i l, the blades closely encompass (h c wrew shaft and completely close the outlot from the hopper. When this is done, as shown in Fig. 2, continued rotation of screw 1",, merely causes the pulverized material in hopper l, to mushroom out along the end 11 all of the hopper and travel back along the lmllmll and side walls and top. thus setting up a local circulatirm ol' the material in the hopper which absorbs practically no more owl-r than does the straight feeding operation which takes place when the blades are swung apart as :-;hown in Fig. 3. To facilitate this operation the working faces of blades 15 and 16, are preferably given a. cone shape as shown at 27, in Fig. 11. By rota-ting screw 23, the blades 15 and 16, may be set at any intermediate point, and an exact adjustment of the feeding of the material to screen 11, thus secured to any desired degree from full delivery to zero.

In the modified distributing apparatus of Figs. 5 and 6, the larger end of screen 11, is hung from hanger 30, by pivot pin 31, so as to swing transversely of the screw 3, while its smaller end is supported by universal joint 32, on the end of conduit 2. The spider 35, in the larger end of screen 11, has a yoke 33, in which rotates cam 34, on the shaft of screw 3. Rotation of the screw then swings the screen from side to side through cooperation of this cam and yoke.

In the form shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, screen 11, is hung by pivots 42, 42, on two links 40, 40, pivoted at 1, 41, so as to swing in the plane of the axis of screw 23, forming a parallel ruler construction. A double can) 43, mounted on screw 3, having long 1nclined faces 45, 45, and short, drop faces 46, 46, cooperates with pins 44, 44, on the smaller end of screen 11, to give the same frequent and sudden reciprocations lengthwise of said screw 3.

A modified form of feed controlling apparatus is shown in Figs. 12 and 13, where the cutcfi' blades 55, 56, are mounted on shafts 57 and 58, journaled in the hopper 1, above the feed screw 3. These are caused to open or close simultaneously like a pair of shears b intermeshing gears 59,130. One of the sha ts, as 58, 1s pos1tively oscillated by bell crank arm 52, connected by link 53, to

the fork bl, on the end of screw 63, mounted in nut 65, journaled in housing (34, on the hopper. (i2, is a hand wheel by which nut (35, may be rotated. 61, 61, are jam-nuts near either end of the screw (53, and serving as adjustable stops to limit its motion through nut (35.

From many points of view the construe tiou illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, is the preferred arrangen'ient of cut-01f blades, as they open and close on a vertical line, and also give a broader and more rapid opening at the bottom. This allows the material to feed evenly along the bottom of the conduit, no matter what the amount ofopening. In the operation of screw conveyors the greatest rate of flow of material is always along the under side of the screw. If the bottom of the conduit is left free from obstruction there will be a continuous flow alon it no matter how narrow orwide the opening bctween the cut-off blades 55, 56. When, however. the line of division or meeting between the cutoll' blades is horizontal in l igs. 2 and. 3. the main current of material traveling along under the eonveyer screw will tend to bank up against the lower blade 16, (when the blades are partlv opened) and then drop over in successive masses. This interferes with the uniform feeding of the material at any time except when the blades are Wide open.

The advantages of my invention comprise mainly simplicity of construction, accuracy of feed control and maintenance of a. uniform rate of supply at all adjustments of the feeding apparatus.

If desired, the shaft 25, could be operated automatically in unison with the controller ollhe compressed air suppliedto ejector 13.

in all of the forms shown herein the relatively large cross section of the receptacle 1, in which the screw mounted, as compared with the cross section of the Screw Itself, permits the material being fedto free itself easily from the screw by moving out rendil in all directions when its forward motion is blocked by partial or entire closure oi the cut-off blades.

Various changescould be made in the details of construction here illustrated without departing from the rinciple and substance of the invention an general plan ofoperati on here described.

Having described y invention, I claim:

1. In an a. paratus or feeding pulverized fuel the com motion, of a receptacle having a circular opening in one of its substantially vertical walls, an exteriorcylindrical conduit registering with said opening, a conveyer comprising a shaftyrvith a helix surrounding the same extending from the interior of said receptacle out through said opening and along said conduit, and having its helix interrupted for a short distance just inside the receptacle wall, means for continuously rotating said conveyor at a uniform speed, a pair of cut-oif blades pivoted to the inner face of the perforated wall above the openingtherein and adapted to fit into the space in the interrupted helix and having their inner edges cut away to closely embrace the conveyer shaft at said point and meet along a substantially vertical line above and below it, thereby preventing the passage of any material out through the opening in the receptacle wall, and means for simultaneously moving said blades more or less toward or from one another whereby a passage of variable width but of a height equal to the vertical diameter of the conduit is opened between receptacle and conduit, through which varying passage the constantly rotating conveyor will force correspondingly variable quantities of material.

2. A combination such as set forth in claim L in which the cut-off blades are formed with surfaces sloping from the conveyer shaft toward the receptacle wall when they meet around said shaft.

3. In an apparatus for feeding pulverized fuel the combination, of a receptacle having a circular opening in one of its substantially vertical walls, an exterior cylindrical conduit registering with said opening, a conveyor comprhing a sha ft with a helix surrounding the same extending from the inlerior of said receptacle out through said opening and along said conduit, and having its helix interru ited for a short distance just inside the receptacle wall, means for continuously rotating said conveyor at a uniform speed, a pair of cut-ofi' blades pivoted to the inner face of the perforated Wall and adapted to fit into the space in the interrupted helix and having their inner edges cut away to closely embrace the conveyor shaft at said point and meet along a diameter thereof, thereby preventing the passage of any material out through the opening in the receptacle wall, and means for simultaneously moving said blades more or less toward or from one another whereby a passage of variable area is opened between receptacle and conduit. through which varying passage the constantly rotating conveyor will force correspondingly variable quantities of material.

41. A combination such as set forth in claim 3 in which the cut-off blades are formed with surfaces sloping from the conveyer shaft toward the rece tacle wall when they meet around said sha 5. In an apparatus for feeding pulverized fuel a receptacle having a circular opening in one of its vertical walls, and a conveyor screw located in said receptacle and projecting out through said opening, said conveyor screw being of a diameter considerably ess than the cross sectional dimensions of the receptacle interior, and having its helix interrupted at a point adjacent the receptacle wall, combined with a pair of cut-off plates adapted to move toward and from the screw along the receptacle wall and by entering the space left by the interrupted helix close about the screw shaft and means for simullancously moving said plates toward or from the screw and means for rotating the screw WILLIAM 0. RE NKIN. 

